Workforce Estimate to Treat Mental Disorders in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Abstract Background: Mental, neurological, and substance abuse (MNS) disorders describe a range of conditions that affect the brain and cause distress or functional impairment. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), MNS disorders make up 10.88 percent of the burden of disease as measured in disability-adjusted life years. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is one of the main providers of mental health services and one of the largest contributors to mental health research in the region. Within the past decade, mental health resources and services has increased. Methods: We employ a needs-based workforce estimate to arrive at the total number of psychiatrists, nurses, and psychosocial care providers needed to meet the epidemiological need of mental health conditions of the population of KSA. Estimates for a potential mental health workforce gap were calculated using five steps: Step 1– Quantify target population for priority mental health conditions. Step 2 – Identify number of expected cases per year. Step 3 – Set target service coverage for each condition. Step 4 – Estimate cost-effective health care service resource utilization for each condition. Step 5 – Estimate service resources needed for each condition. Results: There is an epidemiologic need for a total of 17,128 full-time-equivalent (FTE) health care providers to treat priority MNS disorders. KSA appears to have a need-based shortage of 10,402 health workers to treat mental disorders. A total of 114 psychiatrists, 5,729 nurses, and 4,559 psychosocial care providers would be additionally needed (that is, above and beyond current levels) to address the priority mental health conditions. The shortfall is particularly severe for nurses and psychosocial workers who make up 98.9 percent of the shortfall. This shortage is substantial when compared to other high-income countries. Overall, the workforce needed to treat MNS conditions translates to 49.2 health workers per 100,000 population. Conclusion: Challenges to addressing the shortfall are Saudi specific which includes awareness of cultural customs and norms in the medical setting. These requisites are compounded by the lack of Saudi nationals in the mental health workforce. Saudis make up 29.5 percent of the physician workforce and 38.8 percent of the nursing workforce which means that foreign-trained staff must supplement the shortfall and be mindful of Saudi specific cultural considerations. Potential solutions to reducing the shortfall of mental health care workers includes nurse task shifting and training of general practitioners to screen for, and treat, a subset of MNS disorders.